JP3945342B2 - connector - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a connector provided with lock detection means.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, a connector described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-31517 is known as a connector having detection means for detecting lock of both male and female connector housings. As shown in FIG. 15, the female connector housing 3 is provided with a cantilevered lock arm 4 that can be elastically deformed in the vertical direction, and the male connector housing 1 has a lock arm with respect to the lock arm. A locking projection 2 that can be locked is provided. When the female connector housing 3 is pushed into the male connector housing 1, the lock arm 4 comes into contact with the lower surface of the lock projection 2 and bends downward, and passes through the lock projection 2 to return when both connectors reach the mating position. Then, the lock protrusion 2 is locked.
[0003]
A fitting detection member 6 is disposed at the free end of the lock arm 4. This fitting detection member 6 is locked to a part of the lock arm 4 before being fitted, and is in a state in which the movement operation in the direction along the lock arm 4 (the front-rear direction of the housing) is restricted. . On the other hand, when both the connector housings 1 and 3 are fitted, the restriction of the moving operation is released by using the bending / returning operation of the lock arm 4. Thereby, the movement operation of the fitting detection member 6 is permitted, and fitting detection is performed.
Further, the fitting detection member 6 moves up and down with the bending operation of the lock arm 4, but a part 6A thereof is located in the bending space 8 of the lock arm 4, and when the lock arm 4 is bent, the female connector The upper surface 3A of the housing 3 and the lower surface of the fitting detection member 6 are close to each other.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
According to the above structure, the fitting detection member 6 is attached to the free end side of the lock arm 4, and a part 6 </ b> A thereof is located in the bending space 8 of the lock arm 4. Therefore, the height dimension in the bending space 8 is set in consideration of the fitting detection member 6 (avoidance of interference between the fitting detection member and the connector when the lock arm is bent), and the connector housing is enlarged in the height direction. To do.
The present invention has been completed based on the above-described circumstances, and has an object to provide a connector that does not cause an increase in size of a female connector housing with a lock fitting detection means. To do.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
As means for achieving the above object, the invention of claim 1 is characterized in that one side of the pair of connector housings that can be fitted to each other is elastic in a direction in which the side faces the side. A lock arm that is deformable and can be held in a normal fitting state by locking with a locking protrusion formed on the other connector housing , and is held between the lock arm and the side surface and held between the lock arm and the side surface. There is provided a bending space that allows the locking arm to bend, and a fitting detection member that is attached to the side surface and detects whether or not the two connector housings are properly fitted depending on whether or not they can be pushed into the bending space. connection detecting member, together consists base and from the base portion and resilient arms formed to protrude in the horizontal direction, is always the lockup And the elastic arm is locked to a part of the connector housing on the one side, and is arranged at a standby position where interference with the lock arm can be avoided when it is displaced in a direction approaching the side surface. Although the operation of entering the bending space is restricted by being held at the standby position, when the two connector housings are properly fitted, the elastic arm comes into contact with the locking projection to engage the one-side connector housing. It is a connector in which the fitting detection member is allowed to enter the bending space by elastically displacing so as to release the stop, and the lock arm has a support end on one end side and a free end on the other end side. The base portion provided with a pair of the elastic arms extending along the lock arm is disposed at a position facing the free end of the lock arm while having a cantilever shape. In addition, the elastic arm is provided with a restricting projection on the distal end side thereof, which is engaged with a part of the one-side connector housing and holds the fitting detection member in the standby position. When the contact piece is provided on the end side, and the two connector housings are properly fitted, the contact piece and the locking projection come into contact with each other to expand the elastic arm in the horizontal direction, thereby detecting the fitting. It is characterized in that it is configured to release the locking between the regulating protrusion of the member and the one-side connector housing .
[0008]
[Action and effect of the invention]
According to the invention of claim 1, the elastic arm is always locked to a part of the one-side connector housing, and the fitting detection member is held in a standby position where interference with the lock arm can be avoided. is there. However, when both connector housings are properly fitted, the unlocking portion of the other connector housing abuts against the elastic arm and elastically displaces the elastic arm, releasing the lock between the one connector housing and the fitting detection member. To do. Therefore, the fitting detection member is allowed to be pushed from the standby position into the bending space. On the other hand, when both the connector housings are in the half-fitted state, the locking projection does not reach the release position (position where the elastic arm is expanded), and the elastic arm is not released. Therefore, regular fitting can be detected by whether or not the pushing operation from the standby position into the bending space is possible.
Further, if the fitting detection member is located in the bending space at the standby position, the height of the bending space is added to the bending space of the lock arm, and the fitting detection member and the lock arm It was necessary to set in consideration of the escape space to avoid interference. In this regard, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the fitting detection member is arranged so as to avoid interference with the lock arm at the standby position. There is no need to set the size, and the height of the connector can be reduced.
Further, since the elastic arm expands in the horizontal direction, it is more advantageous for lowering the height than in the case of expanding in the vertical direction. Further, since the member for elastically displacing the elastic arm is shared with the member (locking protrusion) that locks with the lock arm, the structure can be simplified. The abutting piece comes into contact with the locking projection when the two connector housings are properly fitted to expand the elastic arm in the horizontal direction. Since this abutting piece is provided on the base end side of the elastic arm, the displacement amount of the abutting piece appears amplified on the distal end side of the elastic arm, that is, the regulating projection side. Therefore, as compared with the case where the restricting projection is set at a position close to the contact piece, it is possible to secure a larger lapping margin with the one-side connector housing. Therefore, the reliability with respect to the restriction | limiting of pushing operation with respect to the fitting detection member in a standby position increases.
[0011]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following description, the fitting surface side of both connector housings 20 and 30 is the front.
[0012]
The male connector housing (the other connector housing of the present invention) 20 is made of synthetic resin, and as shown in FIG. The female connector housing 30 (corresponding to the one-side connector housing of the present invention) 30 can be fitted. A tab of a male terminal fitting terminal (not shown) protrudes forward from the back surface of the hood portion 21.
Further, a locking projection (corresponding to a locking release portion of the present invention) 23 is provided downward at a position near the opening edge of the ceiling surface 22 of the hood portion 21, and the lock of the female connector housing 30 described below is provided. The arm 32 is locked.
[0013]
The female connector housing 30 accommodates a female terminal fitting (not shown) inside, and when both the connector housings 20 and 30 are properly fitted (details will be described later, the locking projection 23 is engaged with the locking projection 34A. In the stopped state), it is connected to the male terminal fitting. The upper surface 31 of the female connector housing 30 has a cantilever including a support portion 33 raised from the front end position of the upper surface 31 and an arm portion 34 extending rearward from the support portion 33 at the center in the width direction. The lock arm 32 is formed. Below the lock arm 32, a bending space 37 that allows the locking arm 32 to bend is formed. The lock arm 32 can be elastically displaced in the bending space 37 with the support portion 33 as a center. .
Further, an upper surface of the arm portion 34 is provided with a lock projection 34A protruding upward in the central portion in the length direction, and the side surfaces facing the locking projection 23 and the lock projection 34A are for guidance. The taper surface is formed.
[0014]
Therefore, in the middle of the fitting operation, the locking projections 23 are brought into contact with the lock projections 34 </ b> A, so that the lock arm 32 is bent into the bending space 37. When the locking projection 34A passes through the locking projection 23 and the two connector housings 20, 30 reach the normal fitting position, the lock arm 32 is elastically restored and the locking projection 23 is locked to the locking projection 34A. To do. Thus, both connector housings 20 and 30 are held in a properly fitted state.
[0015]
On the other hand, at the rear end (free end portion side) of the lock arm 32, a pressing portion 35 having an upper surface formed in a stepped shape is formed to protrude laterally, and the pressing portion 35 is pressed from above. Thus, the lock arm 32 can be elastically displaced in the bending space 37 to release the engagement between the engagement protrusion 23 and the lock protrusion 34A. As shown in FIG. 1, the pressing portion 35 is divided into left and right by a lock arm 32. The reason for this configuration is that a recess cannot be provided on the upper surface of the lock arm 32 because the mold is pulled back and forth. Therefore, when the pressing portion 35 is provided integrally on the upper surface of the lock arm 32, the locking allowance (dimension C in FIG. 2) of the connector housings 20 and 30 is shortened, and sufficient locking performance is ensured. Difficult to do. Accordingly, the pressing portion 35 is formed so as to protrude to the side of the lock arm 32 so as to ensure the C dimension.
Further, a projecting surface portion 34 </ b> B projecting downward is formed on the lower surface side of the rear end of the lock arm 32.
[0016]
By the way, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a pair of stopper walls 38 are provided in the front-rear direction on the upper surface 31 of the female connector housing 30 on both the left and right sides of the lock arm 32. Furthermore, a pair of guide walls 36 are provided outside the connector housing 30 over the entire length thereof. The guide wall 36 serves as a guide for the fitting detection member 50 described below. Further, as shown in FIG. 13, a receiving portion 37 </ b> A is formed in a recessed manner on the rear side of the above-described bending space 37 over substantially the entire width between the guide walls 36. The accommodating portion 37A accommodates the distal end side of the lock arm 32 to avoid interference with the female connector housing 30 when the lock arm 32 is bent and deformed, and both connector housings 20, 30 will be described in detail below. When the is fitted properly, the base 51 of the fitting detection member 50 is accommodated.
[0017]
As shown in FIG. 9, the fitting detection member 50 includes a base portion 51 that can enter the bending space 37, and a pair of elastic members that extend from the left and right sides of the base portion 51 and extend forward along the lock arm 32. And an arm 52. The elastic arm 52 can be expanded in the horizontal direction.
On the lower edge of the elastic arm 52, an outward rail portion 53 is formed so as to extend from the front end to the rear end. On the other hand, the guide wall 36 of the female connector housing 30 is formed with a guide groove 36A to be fitted with the rail portion 53 (see FIG. 13), and the fitting detection member 50 is in a standby position along the guide wall 36 (see FIG. It moves horizontally between the position shown in FIG. 1 and the detection position (position shown in FIG. 7).
Further, the rail 53 has a shape in which the protruding length gradually decreases toward the tip at the front side of the position corresponding to the tip of the base 51. This is set so that a clearance is provided between the rail portion 53 and the guide groove 36A on the front side, so that the elastic arm 52 is expanded outward in the horizontal direction in the guide groove 36A. It is allowed.
[0018]
As shown in FIG. 1, the fitting detection member 50 as a whole is positioned so as to avoid the bending space 37 of the lock arm 32 in the standby position. That is, the base 51 protrudes rearward of the female connector housing 30, and the elastic arm 52 is located on the side of the bending space 37. In this standby position, the fitting detection member 50 is in a state in which the movement operation forward and backward is restricted. More specifically, a retraction operation restricting projection 55 is formed outward at a position near the rear end on the side surface of the elastic arm 52, while an inward retaining projection 36B is provided at the rear end of the guide wall 36. In the standby position, the retaining protrusion 36B and the backward movement restricting protrusion 55 are engaged to prevent the fitting detection member 50 from being removed.
In addition, a tapered surface is provided on each of the rear surface side of the retaining protrusion 36B and the front surface side of the backward movement restricting protrusion 55. This is in consideration of insertability when the fitting detection member 50 is assembled. .
[0019]
Further, an inward forward movement restricting protrusion (corresponding to a restricting protrusion of the present invention) 54 is formed at the upper edge of the tip of the elastic arm 52. The forward movement restricting protrusion 54 is formed such that the front surface 54 </ b> A stands up from the side surface of the elastic arm 52, and abuts against the rear end surface of the stopper wall 38 of the female connector housing 30. The movement to (position) is restricted. On the other hand, the rear surface side of the forward movement restricting projection 54 is a tapered surface 54B. As will be described in detail later, at the detection position, the tapered surface 54B is in contact with the front end surface of the stopper wall 38. When a backward operation force is applied to the fitting detection member 50 from this state, the taper surface 54B is elastic. The arm 52 is guided by the taper surface to expand, and the locking with the stopper wall 38 is automatically released.
[0020]
Next, a structure for releasing the engagement between the forward movement restricting protrusion 54 and the stopper wall 38 will be described. A pair of contact pieces 56 are formed on the upper end surface of the elastic arm 52 so as to face each other at a position near the fixed end that is separated from the forward movement restricting projection 54. The contact piece 56 is, in the upper part of the locking arm 32, together adapted to cover a portion of the lock arm 32 from the left and right sides, between gap between end faces opposite the two contact piece 56 of the receptacle 21 The locking projection 23 is formed narrower than the width dimension ( A dimension in FIG. 1).
[0021]
The contact piece 56 is located behind the lock protrusion 34A when the fitting detection member 50 is in the standby position. Therefore, in the middle of the fitting operation, the locking projection 23 is on the lock projection 34 </ b> A of the lock arm 32 and is separated from the contact piece 56. However, when both the connector housings 20 and 30 are properly fitted and the locking projection 34A passes through the locking projection 23, the locking projection 23 is positioned between the two abutting pieces 56 at the same time. . Therefore, the elastic arm 52 is pushed out and expanded by the locking projection 23, and the locking between the front surface 54A of the forward movement restricting projection 54 and the rear end surface of the stopper wall 38 is automatically released.
In addition, a guide surface 56A is formed at the tip of the abutting piece 56 at a position facing the locking protrusion 23, so that the elastic arm 52 can be smoothly expanded.
[0022]
Subsequently, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, at the detection position, the base 51 of the fitting detection member 50 is housed in the housing 37 </ b> A in the bending space 37, and the rear surface of the female connector housing 30 and the rear surface of the base 51. Is the same. In this detection position, the rear end surface of the stopper wall 38 is in contact with the tip of the abutting piece 56, and the front end surface of the stopper wall 38 is in contact with the tapered surface 54 </ b> B of the forward movement restricting protrusion 54 to hold the fitting detection member 50. It is supposed to be.
[0023]
In this detection position, the base 51 of the fitting detection member 50 is located in the accommodating portion 37 </ b> A, but the projecting surface portion 34 </ b> B of the lock arm 32 is in contact with the upper surface 51 </ b> A of the base 51. Thereby, since the bending operation of the lock arm 32 is regulated, the lock is not accidentally released. On the other hand, the upper surface 51A of the base portion 51 is formed with a recess 51B smaller than the projecting surface portion 34B, and the rear surface side of the base portion 51 is formed with a step portion 51C formed one step lower than the other surfaces. Part of the recess 51B is exposed to the outside through the part 51C. Therefore, a hook-shaped release jig (not shown) can be inserted into the recess 51B from the stepped portion 51C, and the fitting detection member 50 can be pulled out from the detection position.
[0024]
Next, the effect of this embodiment comprised as mentioned above is demonstrated concretely.
In a state before the assembly work of both the connector housings 20 and 30 is performed, the fitting detection member 50 is in a standby position in which the base portion 51 protrudes rearward of the female connector housing 30 as shown in FIG. In this standby position, the entire fitting detection member 50 is retracted from the bending space 37, and the front surface 54A of the forward movement restricting projection 54 of the elastic arm 52 and the rear end surface of the stopper wall 38 are brought into contact with each other. The movement to the detection position is restricted.
[0025]
When the female connector housing 30 is fitted into the male connector housing 20, the female connector housing 30 is pushed toward the opening edge of the hood portion 21 and pushed inside. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the locking projection 23 of the male connector housing 20 comes into contact with the lock protrusion 34 </ b> A of the lock arm 32. When the female connector housing 30 is further pushed in from this state, the lock arm 32 is elastically displaced into the bending space 37 and the female connector housing 30 enters the hood portion 21.
[0026]
Thereafter, when the female connector housing 30 is further pushed in and the lock projection 34A of the lock arm 32 passes through the locking projection 23 of the hood portion 21, the lock arm 32 is elastically restored as shown in FIG. Engages with the locking projection 34A. Thus, both connector housings 20 and 30 are properly fitted. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, in the normal fitting state, the locking projection 23 is just positioned between the contact pieces 56 of the fitting detecting member 50, and the elastic arm 52 is expanded outward in the horizontal direction. As a result, as shown in the figure, the front surface 54A of the forward movement restricting projection 54 is separated from the front surface of the stopper wall 38, and the locking is released.
Further, during the unlocking operation, the amount of opening is increased on the distal end side (advance operation restricting projection 54) of the elastic arm 52 because the bending due to the contact piece 56 is amplified. Therefore, even when a sufficient amount of lap between the forward movement restricting protrusion 54 and the stopper wall 38 is ensured, the locking with respect to the stopper wall 38 is surely released.
[0027]
Thus, the fitting detection member 50 is allowed to move from the standby position (position shown in FIG. 1) to the detection position (position shown in FIG. 7). Therefore, if the rear end side of the base portion 51 is pushed forward, the fitting detection member 50 advances along the guide wall 36 and the base portion 51 enters the accommodating portion 37 </ b> A of the bending space 37. Eventually, when reaching the detection position where the rear surface of the base portion 51 and the rear surface of the female connector housing 30 are flush with each other, the forward movement restricting projection 54 passes through the stopper wall 38 of the female connector housing 30 so that the elastic arm 52 is elastically restored. To do. Then, the rear end surface of the stopper wall 38 is engaged with the tip of the abutting piece 56 and the front end surface of the stopper wall 38 is engaged with the tapered surface 54B of the forward movement restricting projection 54, so that the fitting detection member 50 is positioned in the front-rear direction. In this state, it is held at the detection position.
[0028]
In this detection position, since the base 51 of the fitting detection member 50 is located below the projecting surface portion 34B, the elastic displacement of the lock arm 32 is restricted so that the locks of the connector housings 20 and 30 are not released. It has become.
Further, when the fitting does not reach the normal fitting state and both the connector housings 20 and 30 are in the half-fitting state, the locking projection 23 does not reach the contact piece 56 and the elastic arm 52 and the stopper wall 38 The lock is not released. Therefore, the fitting detection member 50 cannot be pushed from the standby position to the detection position.
[0029]
On the other hand, when unlocking the connector housings 20 and 30 from this state, first, a release jig is inserted into the recess 51B from the stepped portion 51C on the rear surface of the fitting detection member 50. Subsequently, the release jig is pulled in the recess 51B and the fitting detection member 50 is pulled out backward. Then, the elastic arm 52 of the fitting detection member 50 is guided by the taper surface 54B of the forward movement restricting projection 54 and expands in the releasing direction, and the engagement with the stopper wall 38 is automatically released. The member 50 moves to the standby position. At the standby position, since the base 51 is retracted from the accommodating portion 37A, the unlocking operation by the pressing portion 35 is allowed. Thus, by pressing the pressing portion 35 downward, the locking between the locking protrusion 23 and the locking protrusion 34A can be released.
[0030]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, whether or not the engagement protrusion 23 of the male connector housing 20 has reached the position where the engagement protrusion 23 of the lock arm 32 is engaged with the lock projection 34A is determined. By detecting with the piece 56, the fitting detection of both the connector housings 20 and 30 is performed. That is, when the fitting detection member 50 is in the standby position, the elastic arm 52 abuts against the stopper wall 38 to restrict the pushing operation to the detection position, but both the connector housings 20 and 30 are properly fitted. When the locking projection 23 reaches the position where it locks with the locking protrusion 34A, the contact piece 56 detects it and releases the locking with the stopper wall 38 to allow the movement to the detection position. On the other hand, in the half-fitted state, the lock is not released and the pushing operation to the detection position is prohibited. Thereby, the normal fitting of both the connector housings 20 and 30 is detected by whether or not the pushing operation from the standby position to the detection position is possible.
[0031]
The fitting detection member 50 is supported on the female connector housing 30 side. The fitting detection member 50 is arranged at a position avoiding the bending space 37 of the lock arm 32 in the standby position, and enters the bending space 37 in accordance with the movement operation from the standby position to the detection position. It has become. Therefore, when setting the height dimension of the bending space 37, it is not necessary to consider the fitting detection member 50, and the base 51 is accommodated in the bending space 37 at the detection position, so that the height of the connector is reduced. Is planned. Further, since the elastic arm 52 expands in the horizontal direction, it is more advantageous for lowering the height than in the case of expanding in the vertical direction.
[0032]
<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described with reference to the above description and drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention, and further, within the scope not departing from the gist of the invention other than the following. Various modifications can be made.
[0033]
(1) In this embodiment, the elastic arm 52 is expanded in the horizontal direction to release the locking. However, if it is within the height dimension of the lock arm 32, the elastic arm 52 is expanded in the vertical direction. It may be allowed.
[0034]
(2) In this embodiment, the elastic arm 52 is expanded at the same time as the return of the lock arm 32. However, after the lock arm 32 is returned, the elastic arm 52 is expanded in conjunction with the pushing operation of the fitting detection member 50. It is good.
[0035]
(3) Although the lock arm 32 is cantilevered in this embodiment, it may be a both-sided one.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway plan view of a connector housing before mating according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the connector housing. FIG. FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the connector housing. FIG. 5 is a partially cutaway plan view showing a normal fitting state of both connector housings. FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of the connector housing. FIG. 8 is a partially cutaway plan view of both connector housings showing a state in FIG. 8. FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a fitting detection member. FIG. 11 is a rear view of the connector. FIG. 12 is a rear view of the female connector housing (showing an assembled state of the fitting detection member).
13 is a rear view of the female connector housing and the fitting detection member. FIG. 14 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 12. FIG. 15 is a sectional view of a conventional example.
20 ... Male connector housing (mating connector housing)
23 ... Locking protrusion (locking release part)
30 ... Female connector housing (one-side connector housing)
32 ... Lock arm 37 ... Deflection space 50 ... Fitting detection member 52 ... Elastic arm 54 ... Forward movement restricting projection (regulating projection)
56 ...

Claims (1)

One side of the pair of connector housings that can be fitted to each other has a locking projection formed on the other side of the connector housing that can be elastically deformed in a direction in which the side of the connector housing is in contact with or separated from the same side. A lock arm that can hold both connector housings in a properly fitted state by
A bending space that is held between the lock arm and the side surface and allows the lock arm to bend; and
A fitting detection member that is attached to the side surface and that detects whether or not the two connector housings are properly fitted with the possibility of being pushed into the bending space;
The fitting detection member is composed of a base and an elastic arm formed so as to project horizontally from the base, and always interferes with the lock arm when the lock arm is displaced in a direction approaching the side surface. However, the elastic arm is held in the standby position by being locked to a part of the connector housing on one side, and the entering operation into the bending space is restricted.
When the two connector housings are properly fitted, the fitting detection member is flexed by elastically displacing the elastic arm so as to release the locking of the one-side connector housing by contacting the locking protrusion. A connector that allows entry into space ,
The lock arm has a cantilever shape in which one end side is a support end and the other end side is a free end, and the elastic arm extending along the lock arm is provided at a position facing the free end of the lock arm. A pair of the base portions are arranged, and the elastic arm is provided at its distal end with a restricting protrusion that is locked to a part of the one-side connector housing and holds the fitting detection member in the standby position. And
Further, a contact piece is provided on the base end side of the elastic arm, and when the two connector housings are properly fitted, the contact piece and the locking projection come into contact with each other so that the elastic arm is expanded in the horizontal direction. A connector characterized in that the connector is configured to be opened to release the engagement between the restriction protrusion of the fitting detection member and the one-side connector housing .

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